Abstract
A newly discovered early Miocene site in northern Kenya has yielded a partial cranium, several mandibles, isolated teeth and some associated postcranial elements of a large ape that is distinct from other known African and Asian hominoids. The new genus implies a greater complexity in the relationships between the Miocene hominoids and may offer useful evidence concerning the origin of the Asiatic and African large apes. The genus Sivapithecus has been reported from East Africa1 but the new material supports the hypothesis that this genus only occurs beyond Africa2, although having an African ancestry. The new genus presents a mosaic of characters which suggest an early radiation of Miocene hominoids.
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Leakey, R., Leakey, M. A new Miocene hominoid from Kenya. Nature 324, 143–146 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/324143a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/324143a0
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